De regiebehandelaar in het ziekenhuis

In a 2021 ruling, the central medical disciplinary board changed the requirements regarding the divisions of responsibilities between health care providers by introducing the term ‘lead clinician’, placing more emphasis on the own professional responsibility of each care provider involved. The lead clinician oversees the continuity and coherence of care, coordinates between caregivers, and serves as a point of contact. Despite concerns about its implementation, national guidelines on responsibility division have adopted the lead clinician concept. However, translating these guidelines into clinical practice of hospitals poses challenges due to unclear responsibilities and the absence of ultimate accountability. Furthermore, variations in interpretation among institutions and professional groups could jeopardize patient safety. Clear standards for the lead clinician role that are coordinated from a national level are essential to mitigate these risks. Until then, it may be unwise for hospitals to relinquish the former role of the practitioner in lead.

Conflict of interest and financial support: ICMJE forms provided by the authors are available online along with the full text of this article.